According to the Small Firm Diaries 2022 Report, In Nigeria, MSMEs, make up 96% of companies in the country and provide 84% of job opportunities.

These small firms represent an “invisible middle,” different from microenterprises and larger than professionalized firms.

The Small Firm Diaries followed the financial lives of 161 small businesses in Nigeria between August 2021 and August 2022. This study is part of a global research initiative active in 7 countries—Colombia, Nigeria, Uganda, Ethiopia, Kenya, Indonesia, and Fiji— which seeks to understand the role of low-income small firms in poverty reduction, and the barriers that limit their contribution to local economies. Small firms in this study are defined as those with 1-20 non-household
employees.

Charles and Charity Nwobodo own one of the 161 firms that participated in the Small Firm Diaries study in Nigeria. They run a furniture-making business in Enugu, a regional capital in the southeast of Nigeria and an aspiring industrial hub.

READ: 5 Key Takeaways from the Small Firm Diaries Nigeria Report

WATCH: Charles and Charity Nwobodo share their story with the Small Firm Diaries